This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Daja Johnson's name.

OSHKOSH - University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh leaders say they're investigating viral social media posts that show photos of racist and homophobic messages and hateful symbols they believe involve students.

The images, which appear to show messages posted in off-campus student housing, prompted calls for expulsions and drew the attention of state lawmakers.

A set of three photos, which surfaced overnight on Twitter and later spread to other social media platforms, depict a white board with the message "No... Liberals, Jews, Muslims, Queers, or Hmongs" written on it. Another image shows a room with a large banner containing what appears to be a hand-painted white swastika.

Allison Keegstra, who told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin she took the photos and posted them on Twitter, said she did so in an effort to expose the students responsible.

Photos involving UW-Oshkosh students that contain racist, antisemitic, homophobic and Islamophobic messages and symbols are circulating on social media.(Photo: Courtesy of Allison Keegstra)

Chancellor Andrew Leavitt issued a statement Friday morning to the campus community, saying the university immediately began investigating the matter and condemning the images and sending a stark message to those involved.

"To anyone who brings hate into the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh community, I invite you to leave," Leavitt said.

"We take it seriously. I am angry, and I am sorry for the pain these images cause," he said. "They are examples of hate and bias that defy everything we stand for as a university and inclusive community. We do not and will not tolerate it."

A swastika banner is shown in this photo UW-Oshkosh officials say involve UWO students that has started circulating on social media.(Photo: Courtesy of Allison Keegstra)

The university organized a community forum Friday afternoon in the Reeve Memorial Union on campus, and the event packed the ballrooms.

"There's an investigation underway, both by our Dean of Students Office and our University Police Department to see if there was any kind of criminality or policy infraction, based on what happened," Leavitt told reporters before Friday's forum.

The university has the authority to suspend or expel the student involved if he broke any laws, Leavitt said. He would not confirm more details, citing the ongoing nature of the university's investigation.

“We cannot expel someone purely out of free speech,” he said.

The university was aware of the images by 1 a.m. Friday when students began tagging the university’s Twitter accounts in the photo, Leavitt said.

University officials have identified a student involved and everyone in the photos and want to talk to them and others who might have been around when the photos were taken, Leavitt said. Once officials piece together what happened, they can determine whether anyone did anything wrong or violated university policy.

To anyone who brings hate into the @uwoshkosh community, I invite you to leave. We are aware of social media images that emerged overnight depicting racist messages and hateful symbols involving our students. We are investigating and take this seriously. https://t.co/IMXDbGByZ1

Students react with shock and disappointment

"I was in shock. This is unacceptable," said Daniel Salazar, vice president of the Student Organization for Latinos. "I think we need to hold people accountable for what's happened."

Friday marked the third forum Salazar attended related to discrimination on campus, and he wants to show the community stands against this kind of message.

Senior Jonathan Robinson said he was shocked racist images still exist in 2019, calling the photos "abruptly horrifying."

"The community and the university need to reevaluate what they value. This should be a time to reflect personally what people are here for," Robinson said.

The photos also horrified senior Emily Belongia, but she wasn’t shocked that it happened. Things like this happen at the university, which isn't doing enough to protect marginalized students, she said.

With an increasing number of what she called ignorant situations happening around campus, there needs to be more than open forums to discuss the issues, said Daja Johnson, president of the Black Student Union at UWO. People want consequences for the perpetrators, she said.

"I personally think it comes down to diversity training," Johnson said. "We need to make people aware that not all kids are white or heterosexual. You have to be understanding of other people."

Student reportedly involved was linked to anti-Hmong Snapchat post

It's the second time in as many months the university has dealt with images on social media with racist and homophobic messages.

In her tweet, Keegstra called out Haakon Wagner, who found himself at the center of a controversy in March, when a Snapchat image surfaced of two white men running for student president and vice president and encouraged students to vote for them. Underneath, a student had tacked on an endorsement: "UWO Vote for these guys today unless you want a lesbian or a hmong to win."

The then-candidates, junior Jacob Banfield and sophomore Ian McDonald, did not send the Snapchat and condemned the image. They also reported Wagner to the university's Dean of Students Office.

Wagner did not respond to an email Friday from a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter asking him about the latest posts but later took to Twitter to address the issue.

"I had nothing to do with what was written on the whiteboard at the house," he tweeted.

I had nothing to do with what was written on the whiteboard at the house.

Leavitt would not confirm details of the previous case but said the Dean of Students Office "did thoroughly investigate it, and there was an outcome," he said.

Alina Xiong, Pa Houa Xiong and Alicia Obermeier were the targets of the Snapchat message. They organized a "Call to Action" event March 18 to pose questions to their community: "Who else had been discriminated (against), harassed or treated as an outsider at UWO? What else had their peers endured? How can we change?"

State lawmakers react to photos, university's response

The photos, along with the university's response, attracted comments Friday from state legislators, including UW-Oshkosh alumnus and Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, and Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee.

"Racism has no place on campus or in our community. The hateful words and symbols these students used are contrary to everything UW-Oshkosh stands for," Hintz said in a statement. "As an ally of the students harmed by these events, I hear you and will work with you to improve our campus climate."

Taylor also issued a statement, applauding "Leavitt and all those who confront racism and bigotry while pushing for a more inclusive, tolerant, and respectful campus, community and world.

"Hate speech and activities promoting intolerance have to be addressed as soon as it happens. It is good to see such a quick response to the overnight incident of racist and vile images that surfaced near the UW-Oshkosh campus. Thank you Chancellor Leavitt, faculty and students for your willingness to be a voice for others."

Devi Shastri of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.